The “extra” that is contained in metaphors derives from the way in which metaphors evoke our imagination and creativity. We associate the metaphor of a shepherd with certain well-known biblical passages. We think of the “tranquil streams” of Psalm 23, of David snatching a sheep from the jaw of a lion or a bear in 1 Samuel 17, and of Jesus physically functioning as the reassuring gate in front of the sheepfold in John 10. We readily associate metaphors with stories that we know and with other elements